Petista complains about invasion of friend’s farm and is criticized by MST

The Movement of Landless Rural Workers (MST) repudiated this Monday (13) the condemnation that Mato Grosso do Sul state deputy Zeca of the PT made to the invasion of a farm belonging to a member of the local PT directory.

Last week, the lands of PT José Raul das Neves Junior, in the municipality of Rio Brilhante, were taken over by indigenous people of the Guarani-Kaiowá ethnic group. Zeca do PT, who was once governor of Mato Grosso do Sul, classified the occupation of the property as a “barbarity”, when speaking at the Legislative Assembly of the state, on Thursday (9).

In the statement, PT’s Zeca sympathizes with his co-religionist “friend” and says that “it is a shame” to invade a productive property. “Don’t count on me these people who, for no reason, occupy and invade productive properties, creating legal uncertainty and running the risk of a consequence that we have no idea what could happen”, he said (see in full).

Neves Junior’s farm is located in an area in the process of demarcation of the Nhanderu Laranjeira Indigenous Land, but the presence of ethnic people was contested by the deputy. PT’s Zeca even placed on the shoulders of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) the condemnation for the invasion of the property.

“President Lula, concerned about this, has expressed [que] don’t agree with that. [Ele] wants to settle, but by buying property, and not occupying productive properties as has been the case,” he said. Lula did not comment on the statement made by his coreligionist.

The note published by the MST this Monday states that the movement is in solidarity with and supports the indigenous people and that it repudiates “any attempts to criminalize movements to retake indigenous territories” (see full text).

Invasions of productive lands accelerated at the beginning of Lula’s government. One of the most recent cases was the invasion of three Suzano production properties in southern Bahia, which was minimized by the government.

Petistas also criticize the speech of the deputy

The municipal directorate of the PT in Dourados (MS) also criticized the co-religionist’s speech, saying that it “incites and helps to increase violent hate speeches against indigenous peoples in the fight for the resumption of traditional territories”.

“The attitude of Zeca ‘from the PT’, so well voted by the indigenous peoples of MS, causes sadness and revolt because we believed we had confidence in him, support and respect for our struggle”, said the indigenous sector of the party’s directory (see in full) .

Eloy Terena, executive secretary of the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples, regretted the deputy’s statement, and said on social media that the demarcation of the Laranjeira Nhanderu indigenous land “has an anthropological study and is an essential space for the physical and cultural survival of the Guarani-Kaiowá”.

The PT’s national leadership did not comment on the deputy’s speeches.